Tanglewood Research Evaluation

Tanglewood Research Evaluation used in psychology are essential tools for clinical and research assessments. This post is based on dissertations submitted by students during their academic programs. At ‘Mental Health,’ we arrange and provide these resources to you. Here is the complete list of resources (Click Here). To access these materials, click on the ‘Avail File’ section below.”

About Tanglewood Research Evaluation

Purpose of the Tool

The Tanglewood Research Evaluation is designed to assess the effectiveness of drug prevention programs, particularly those targeting youth, such as the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program. This tool evaluates how these programs influence various mediating variables related to drug use, including attitudes, beliefs, and decision-making processes. The Tanglewood Research Evaluation helps determine whether interventions like D.A.R.E. are successful in reducing substance use among adolescents by analyzing the changes in these mediating variables.

Background

Substance abuse prevention programs have long been implemented in schools to reduce the likelihood of drug use among adolescents. However, questions about their effectiveness, particularly programs like D.A.R.E., have led to a growing need for evaluation methods that assess both direct outcomes and the mediating factors that might influence those outcomes. The Tanglewood Research Evaluation, developed by researchers Hansen and McNeal (1997), focuses on understanding how drug prevention programs affect the underlying psychological and social mechanisms that could lead to drug use or avoidance.

The tool assesses the influence of prevention programs on mediating variables, such as:

Attitudes towards drug use
Perception of peer norms
Perceived risks of drug use
Decision-making and refusal skills

These mediating variables are crucial because changes in these areas are thought to lead to long-term behavioral changes regarding substance use. If a program successfully shifts attitudes or enhances decision-making skills, it is more likely to result in a decrease in actual drug use over time.

Tool Structure

The Tanglewood Research Evaluation includes multiple items that focus on the mediating variables affected by drug prevention programs. The evaluation typically uses a pre-test/post-test design, where students are assessed before and after participating in the program. This design allows for the comparison of changes in attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors over time.

Attitudes Towards Drug Use: Items in this section measure students’ general views on drug use, including their thoughts on whether drug use is acceptable, beneficial, or harmful. Positive changes in these attitudes are associated with a decreased likelihood of future drug use.
Perceived Peer Norms: This section assesses students’ perceptions of how common or acceptable drug use is among their peers. The evaluation examines whether the program helps reduce the belief that “everyone is doing it,” which is a common misconception among youth.
Perceived Risk of Drug Use: These items focus on how risky students believe drug use is to their health, social life, and future goals. A successful prevention program increases the perception of risk associated with drug use.
Decision-Making and Refusal Skills: This section assesses students’ ability to make informed decisions and their capacity to refuse offers of drugs. Programs like D.A.R.E. emphasize the importance of refusal skills, helping students learn how to say no in high-pressure situations.

The evaluation uses a Likert scale for most items, ranging from strong agreement to strong disagreement, providing a nuanced view of changes in attitudes and perceptions.

Key Features

Focus on Mediating Variables: Unlike many evaluations that focus solely on drug use outcomes, the Tanglewood Research Evaluation takes a more comprehensive approach by assessing the psychological and social variables that can mediate drug use behavior.
Application to Various Programs: While initially developed to assess D.A.R.E., the tool is applicable to a range of drug prevention programs. It can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of different interventions in changing key mediating variables.
Pre-Post Design: The evaluation’s use of a pre-test/post-test design allows for the direct comparison of student attitudes and perceptions before and after the intervention, making it easier to measure program effectiveness.

Psychometric Properties

Reliability: The Tanglewood Research Evaluation has demonstrated good internal consistency, with reliability coefficients indicating that the tool consistently measures changes in mediating variables.

Validity: Studies using the Tanglewood Research Evaluation have shown that changes in mediating variables, as assessed by the tool, are predictive of future drug use. This demonstrates the tool’s validity in measuring factors that can influence drug-related behaviors.

The tool has been tested in a variety of settings, ensuring its generalizability across different populations of adolescents.

Applications

Program Evaluation: The Tanglewood Research Evaluation is primarily used to assess the effectiveness of drug prevention programs, particularly in school settings. By focusing on mediating variables, it provides a more nuanced view of how these programs affect students’ attitudes and behaviors.
Research: Researchers use the tool to study the impact of various prevention strategies on the likelihood of drug use. It helps identify which components of prevention programs are most effective in reducing substance use.
Policy Development: Policymakers use data from evaluations like the Tanglewood Research Evaluation to make decisions about funding and implementing drug prevention programs in schools. The results can inform which programs are most effective at reducing substance use among youth.

Age Group

The Tanglewood Research Evaluation is typically used with adolescents aged 12 to 18 years. This age group is often the target of drug prevention programs, making the evaluation tool highly relevant in middle and high school settings.

References

Hansen, W. B., & McNeal, R. B. (1997). How D.A.R.E. works: An examination of program effects on mediating variables. Health Education & Behavior, 24(2), 165-176.

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Tanglewood Research Evaluation